DETERMINED KAWASAKI PAIR HEAD FOR HALFWAY POINT AT DONINGTON As the MotoGP World Championship reaches its halfway point Kawasaki factory riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, return to European race action this weekend for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park. The race is the ninth in a marathon calendar of 17 events, and marks the turning point of a season that ends in Valencia in November. Nakano and Hofmann come to Donington after strong, points-scoring performances in last week’s American adventure, when they both made impressive debuts on the difficult Laguna Seca track. The Donington assignment aboard Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR race bikes will be to capitalise on those performances, and to continue the upward trend of machine and tyre development. And for the second half of the season the factory Kawasaki squad has a two-fold agenda; maintain the team’s third place in the Constructors’ Championship and boost the individual performances of the riders. After eight races Kawasaki are third in the constructors’ points and are the leading Bridgestone-tyre team, behind only Yamaha and Honda who use a rival brand of rubber. Meanwhile Nakano, 27, is out to protect his top ten standing in the riders’ championship. Currently he is equal eighth (with Ducati’s Loris Capirossi) and eight points clear of tenth placed Troy Bayliss on a factory Honda. Only once this season, with a mechanical DNF in China, has the super-smooth Nakano been out of the top ten. For Hofmann, the British GP will be his 30th start for Kawasaki in the premier class since his wildcard debut in the Catalunya GP of 2002. The 25 year-old German rider is eager to overcome a disappointing first half of the season, which was interrupted by injury. A fractured wrist forced Hofmann to sit out three races, but he showed that he is back to full fitness with a fighting 11th place at Laguna Seca, despite losing time with a minor gearshift problem. The Donington track rewards riding talent, not necessarily outright horsepower. The main feature is a flowing sequence of fast, downhill corners (Craner Curves) that link almost instantly with the demands of the Old Hairpin, McLeans and Coppice Corner that delivers riders onto the back straight. This is in dramatic contrast to the heavy-braking and hard acceleration of the Melbourne Loop section behind the pits, which completes the four-kilometre lap. This will be the 19th British GP at Donington since the switch from Silverstone, with Sunday’s race run over 30 laps of a circuit with a spectacular amphitheatre setting. Shinya Nakano: #56 “I’m looking forward to returning to Donington especially with the latest improvements to the ZX-RR engine management system, acceleration and Bridgestone tyres, which took a step forward in America. Donington is a technical track and you need sharp acceleration, precise front-end feel plus good tyre grip; both for the fast corners and heavy braking. I’ve never had the perfect feel for Donington and last year was my first at the track on Bridgestone tyres, so I’m looking for a much better result this year.” Alex Hofmann: #66 “I’m hoping the second half of the season will be kinder than the beginning. And I’m sure it will be. I was very happy with the way I rode at Laguna, coming from 15th to 11th twice after a small downshift problem. I just want to carry that momentum to Donington and through the rest of the season, and to score some good points at every race. I’m fit and have been training hard and I like fast corners, so the first part of Donington is a great section of race track for me. The stop-go part at the end of the lap is not so much fun, so you have to find a compromise in set-up. After 11th at Laguna I want to go forward from there.”

Eric caught up with me last week after his wire to wire victory in the AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca, and saying that he was happy just doesn’t quite capture his mood. “Man, I am just having fun riding my Ducati. I was stoked getting a win for the Parts Unlimited Austin Ducati team, but the biggest thing was that I was having a blast riding the bike!” I had a ton of questions for EBoz, but he was one step ahead of me the entire time. “Matt, everyone has been asking me what is different with the bike, and the answer is NOTHING. We had the victory in Colorado and then we were running good at Road America, but the big thing is that we have been enjoying some success at our recent tests. We started getting some positive front end feel at Fontana, but the rear was still kind of vague. My team has been working their butts off and now we’re getting the feel that we need, and the bike is just a lot more fun to ride.” “It was the coolest thing, I was pretty fast out of the gate all weekend but we knew that we needed a little more for the race so we took a big gamble. I want to race for wins, and I know what the Ducati 999 is capable of and I know what the team is capable of, so we took some big risks with the bike set up before the race and it paid of. As soon as I set out on the warm up lap I just felt a big sense of relief, the bike had the feel I wanted. After that, the race was just enjoyable.” I had to ask The Boss how it felt to mix in an AMA weekend with a Moto GP race and again he had nothing but positive things to say. “It was great getting to showcase the talent here in American on a World Championship level and it was great for the fans. Having Red Bull at the race was the best, their hospitality was unbelievable. I got to hang out with Matt Lablanc and Brad Pitt, and Michael Jordan was there and Von Dutch was there, it was just awesome. I have to say that this was the coolest road race that I’ve ever been involved with and Red Bull was a big part of that.” I am also pleased to announce that Eric has tentative plans to race in some upcoming AMA Supermoto Events! Eric will be racing in Shawano, WI on July 30 and Reno Nevada October 1. Eric is also Scheduled to ride in the X-Games the weekend of August 6. I can’t wait to see what Eric does this weekend at the Mid-Ohio round of the AMA Superbike series. Until Then, Matt “Pooch” Repucci

The British GP, the ninth race of the season, sees the world championship enter its second phase. With the first eight races now behind them, Team MoviStar Honda MotoGP can boast seven podiums and two riders among the first five in the overall championship standings. Marco Melandri is lying in second place with 107 points and Sete Gibernau is lying fourth, just 5 points off from 3rd-placed Max Biaggi. The next race will be on 24th July at Donington Park the heartland of British racing tradition. Set in the countryside, just a stone’s throw from Sherwood Forest, this circuit is steeped in motorcycling history. Anachronistic in terms of facilities and logistics, it nevertheless remains one of the most beautiful race tracks of the entire championship. Consisting of a highly technical series of dips and rises, the track can essentially be divided into a fast initial section and slower second one, with the last three bends offering good overtaking opportunities: it’s no coincidence that most duels are resolved along this last tract. One of the most distinctive features of the circuit is undoubtedly the Craner Curve, a sweeping fifth-gear bend that riders would be wary of underestimating as it is notoriously deceptive and requires perfect maintenance of trajectory. Contradictory by nature, the Donington race circuit is something of challenge for technicians and engineers alike. The first, faster, section requires smooth error-free handling, while the second, slower section requires a more aggressive approach: the right set-up is the one that produces the right compromise between good braking performance and outstanding acceleration. In short the rider needs a precision motorcycle in the first section and an agile one in the second. HISTORY Built in 1931, the circuit later underwent extensive modifications following a long period of inactivity. The most important changes, made in 1985, resulted in the current configuration; 4023 metres long with 11 bends. LOCATION Donington lies at the centre of the East Midlands, about 60 km from Birmingham and 200 km from London. The nearest large towns are Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. MICHELIN PREPARES FOR DONINGTON PARK We asked Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s motorcycle racing division manager, what sort of problems a track like Donington Park presents from a tyre manufacturer’s point of view: “Donington is not in itself a particularly difficult track to prepare for, especially since the new asphalt was laid last year. The difficulties at Donington, like Assen, lie in the fast-changing weather conditions and temperatures. The air and asphalt temperatures may vary a lot. That means we have to bring along a set of tyres that covers an extremely wide temperature range.” SETE GIBERNAU AND DONINGTON PARK “I don’t find the track easy at all. The bike has to be set up to perfection to handle the heavy braking and steep downhill sections. The Craner is notoriously difficult: there’s no visibility and the switch in direction has to be taken blind. The track consists of two very different sections: an initial fast section and a subsequent slower one with plenty of braking. My favourite tract is the last two bends, traditionally the setting for some spectacular overtaking. Because it’s so close to the East Midlands airport the track can be a little slippery on account of the burnt kerosene discharged by incoming aircraft. Fortunately, the new asphalt laid last year has improved the situation considerably. My best memory of this track? Last year I was on the podium – but it’s the test day after the race that I remember best. After analysing the problems encountered during the race, on the Monday we got some great test results and some valuable experience under our belts.” MARCO MELANDRI, READY FOR HIS SECOND “HOME” GP “Donington is something special, characterised by an exciting fast section and a second, slower section. Thanks to the new asphalt laid last year the track has improved enormously and now gives outstanding grip. It’s the section where the first two intermediate times are taken that I like best: the downhill tract and the sweeping uphill bend on the left: it’s pure exhilaration and requires every last drop of skill. The best spots for overtaking are the three slow bends towards the end of the track. The secret behind a good lap time at Donington Park? First and foremost, decisiveness and determination especially as you speed into the Craner (the downhill bend) on those qualifying tyres! You also need to be flexible enough to adapt to the characteristics of the track, being ready to switch from the fast bends at the start to the much slower ones that follow (especially the last three). The secret, then, lies in finding the right compromise between hard braking and smooth handling. In a way the Donington GP is my second “home” race as I live less than two miles from the circuit. Yet it’s a whole different atmosphere compared to Mugello. It’s good to see the number of spectators continuing to rise year after year, clear evidence of growing British interest in MotoGP, yet we’re a long way off from the passion of an Italian crowd! My best memory of this track is undoubtedly my 250cc victory back in 2002. And the worst memory is still fresh in my mind: the fall in the 2004 GP in which I broke my right thumb: it had to be operated on, and ended up conditioning the rest of the season.” DONINGTON PARK THE TRACK Name of the circuit: Donington Park Grand Prix: betandwin.com British Grand Prix Opened: 1931 Modified: 1985 Length: 4.023 km Width: 10 m Pole position: left Right curves: 7 Left curves: 4 Longest straight: 564 m MotoGP race: 30 laps RECORD: Track record 2004 Edwards (Honda) 1:29.973 pole position: 2004 Rossi (Yamaha) 1:28.720 2004 Race : 1st Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Colin Edwards (Honda) 3rd Sete Gibernau (Honda)

AFM Round Five Thunderhill Park Raceway Willows, California July 17, 2005 In sweltering conditions with temperatures over 100 degrees, former CCS standout Corey Sarros took the holeshot in the Formula Pacific race. His lead was short lived, as defending Formula Pacific champion David Stanton put his Arlight Suzuki GSX-R1000 past Sarros just three turns into the first lap. Stanton immediately began to pull away at the front, as former number one plateholder Jeff Tigert worked his way through the pack, riding his AMA Superstock spec Honda CBR1000RR. Tigert took second with a bold pass on the GSX-R1000 of Michael Earnest, giving him the chance close the gap on Stanton, setting the stage for a climactic last-lap showdown. Unfortunately for Tigert, that showdown never took place, with his chances at a come-from-behind victory coming to an end when his motor blew on the lap five. David Stanton went on to take the win, with Michael Earnest finishing second and Ken Hill third. “I knew those guys would be coming for me, especially Jeff he’s great when he’s coming from a couple of rows back,” Stanton stated from the winner’s circle. “I just put my head down, trying to be as easy as I could with the tire. I just tried to maintain my gap, and it ended up working out.” Stanton went three for three on the day, taking victories in both Open Superbike and 750 Superbike. Tigert salvaged his day by taking the win in the Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production race. From his second row grid spot, Tigert charged into the lead early in the race, taking the position from early race leader Andy Carman at the end of the first lap. Second place went to Grant Riggs on the Jelly Belly R6. “I saw that Grant was catching up, but I put my hard laps in at the beginning,” stated Tigert after the race. “I saw that he was closing, but with the heat I figured all of us were hurting, so it must have hurt him to be catching me. With that in mind, I just put it into cruise control on the last two laps, and brought it home.” The Desmoto Sport Open Twins race saw a fantastic battle at the front between Jack Pfeifer and Eric Gulbransen. The battle went down to the last turn of the last lap, with Pfeifer using the power of his Scuderia West Aprilia to motor past the Munroe Motors Ducati 749 of Gulbransen and take the win. Pfeifer’s day took a turn for the worse in the Scuderia West Formula I race, as his bike mysteriously lost power moments after the start, resulting a horrific crash that collected a total of six machines. Pfeifer broke his wrist, arm, and two vertebrae in the incident, but luckily escaped without injury to his spinal cord. After the restart, Jon Bawden took the lead and immediately began to run from the field, with Robert Campbell running strong in second. Despite a lead that stretched almost the length of the back straight, Bawden’s race came to an early end after a freak lowside in Turn 14, relegating the position to Campbell and his Bike World GSX-R750. Campbell went on to take his first Formula 1 win of the season, with Wil Morton putting in an impressive ride on his Honda RS250 to finish second. “It sure surprised me – I’m not sure why he was pushing so hard!” Campbell recalled. “When he went down, I thought to myself ‘Why the heck did ya do that? I’m waaaaaaaaaaay back here!’ After that, I just kept a steady pace so I could take the win!” Michael Jarrard came out on top of a race-long, four-rider battle for the lead to take the win in the Formula 3 race. The remaining two trophy positions went to a couple of up-and-coming youngsters, with 16 year old Tyler Reiswig finishing second and 14 year old Tommy Aquino finishing third. The Suzuki SV650s returned to the front of the Zoom Zoom Trackdays Formula IV race, with the Buell of Shawn Reilly and the Honda of Mike Lohmeyer both out of the race early after tangling on the first lap. BARF Racing’s Felipe Cabezas held the early lead on his SV650, but his race came to an early end after a lowsid at the top of the Cyclone, giving the lead to Brian Long and his Spears Racing SV650. Long held the lead to the checkered flag, with Kurt Spencer finishing second on his Twin Works Factory SV650. 650 Twins initially looked to be a repeat of Formula IV, with Long and Spencer crossing the line once again in the top two positions. But result changed when Long was stripped of his second victory of the day, the result of a protest made against Long for passing under a yellow flag. As a result, Spencer was awarded the win, with Felipe Cabezas coming back from his fall to finish second and Jason Butler in third. Chris Siglin took the win on his Arclight Suzuki GSX-R600 in the Pacific Tracktime 600 Superbike race, continuing a recent string of strong performances at WERA and AMA National events. Jeff Tigert gave chace but was unable to close the gap crossed the line in second, with Grant Riggs third. “I learned a few things riding with Tray Batey at the WERA Nationals,” recalled Siglin. “That guy goes so hard on the first lap that’s why he’s so good! A lot of the time that’s your only chance to build a nice gap on people. You know that guys like Jeff are behind you, and that they’re going to be on the gas. So before the race, I told myself ‘First lap, get on the gas.” And it worked!” The 500 Twins class revitalized after the introduction of the SV400/500 and the reintroduction of the Ninja 250 saw a new face finishing at the top of the order, with Jay Jacobsen taking the lead from Bobby Lee Broussard just four turns from the finish to take the win on his BRG Racing SV500. Broussard finished second on his GS500, with defending class champion Jon Format crossing the line third on his Twin Works Factory SV500. “He did this defensive maneuver in Turn 11 on the last lap, so I thought ‘Sure thing you go inside, and I’ll go deep!'” Jacobsen stated after the race. “He ended up going wide, and that opened the door for me.” The next round of AFM action is scheduled to take place at Infineon Raceway on August 14. AFM Round 5 July 17, 2005 Thunderhill Park Unofficial Results Mach 1 Motorsports Formula Pacific 1. David Stanton (Suz 1000) 2. Michael Earnest (Yam 1000) 3. Ken Hill (Hon 1000) 4. Rob Mesa (Suz 1000) 5. Corey Sarros (Suz 1000) 6. Chris Siglin (Suz 600) Scuderia West Formula 1 1. Robert Campbell (Suz 750) 2. William Morton (Hon 250) 3. Craig Wierman (Suz 750) 4. David Bell (Suz 750) 5. Garry Combs (Suz 750) 6. Jeremiah Grant (Suz 750) Mazda Technologies Formula 2 1. William Morton (Hon 250) 2. Jeffry Hanford (Hon 250) 3. Phillip Torres (Yam 250) 4. Sean Case (Hon 250) 5. Shawn Herrera (Yam 250) 6. Jove Shapiro (Yam 250) Formula 3 1. Michael Jarrard (Hon 125) 2. Tyler Reiswig (Hon 125) 3. Tommy Aquino (Hon 125) 4. Carlos Neves (Hon 125) 5. Steve Magri (Hon 125) 6. Jeffrey Lim (Hon 125) Zoom Zoom Trackdays Formula 4 1. Brian Long (Suz 650) 2. Kurt Spencer (Suz 650) 3. Michael Metcalf (Suz 650) 4. Jason Butler (Suz 650) 5. John Daker (Suz 650) 6. Everett Dittman (Suz 650) Powerstands Open Grand Prix 1. Rob Mesa (Suz 1000) 2. Kim Nakashima (Suz 1000) 3. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 4. Mike Thompson (Yam 1000) 5. Michael Lohmeyer (Suz 1000) 6. J.D. Grow (Suz 1000) Hare Racing Open Superbike 1. David Stanton (Suz 1000) 2. Rob Mesa (Suz 1000) 3. Corey Sarros (Suz 1000) 4. Kim Nakashima (Suz 1000) 5. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 6. David Kunzelman (Suz 1000) Dial It In Tracktime 750 Superbike 1. David Stanton (Suz 750) 2. Robert Campbell (Suz 750) 3. David Bell (Suz 750) 4. Jeremiah Grant (Suz 750) 5. Garry Combs (Suz 750) 6. Craig Wierman (Suz 750) Pacific Tracktime 600 Superbike 1. Chris Siglin (Suz 600) 2. Jeff Tigert (Hon 600) 3. Grant Riggs (Yam 600) 4. Andy Carman (Yam 600) 5. Ryan Texeira (Kaw 600) 6. Lenny Hale (Yam 600) 450 Superbike 1. Michael Lohmeyer (Hon 400) 2. Paul Yoshimune (Hon 450) 3. Jose Quintanar (Yam 400) 4. Kenyon Kluge (Hon 400) 5. Craig Sanders (Kaw 400) 6. Ross Wells (Yam 400) Kilowatt Bar 250 Superbike 1. Jove Shapiro (Yam 250) 2. Shawn Herrera (Yam 250) 3. Gordon Johnson (Hon 250) 4. Dylan Benjamin (Hon 250) 5. Clif Jordan (Apr 250) 6. Joe Rust (Apr 250) Take It 2 The Track Open Production 1. Corey Sarros (Suz 1000) 2. Martin Szwarc (Suz 1000) 3. William Scott (Kaw 1000) 4. James J. King (Suz 1000) 5. Daniel Bokum (Suz 1000) 6. Ed Milhausen (Kaw 1000) Strictly Sport 750 Production 1. Robert Campbell (Suz 1000) 2. Jeremiah Grant (Suz 750) 3. Danny Yamasaki (Suz 750) 4. Patrick Flora (Suz 750) 5. Don Rudolfs (Suz 750) 6. Liko Miles (Suz 750) Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production 1. Jeff Tigert (Hon 600) 2. Grant Riggs (Yam 600) 3. Andy Carman (Yam 600) 4. Berto Wooldridge (Suz 600) 5. Bobby Fong (Yam 600) 6. Thomas Montano (Hon 600) 450 Production 1. Ross Wells (Yam 400) 2. Douglas Goldman (Yam 400) 3. Dave Norgard (Yam 400) 4. Gwyn Lewis (Yam 400) 5. Don Breeden (Yam 400) Aftershocks Suspension 250 Production 1. Jay Kinberger (Kaw 250) 2. David Crone (Hon 250) 3. Bob Simmons (Kaw 250) 4. Kelly Winkelbauer (Kaw 250) 5. John Anne (Kaw 250) 6. Dale Walker (Kaw 250) Desmoto Sport Open Twins 1. Jack Pfeifer (Apr 1000) 2. Eric Gulbransen (Duc 749) 3. Brian Long (Suz 1000) 4. Simon Williams (Duc 998) 5. Patrick Blackburn (Duc 998) 6. Scott Schwanbeck (Apr 1000) 650 Twins 1. Kurt Spencer (Suz 650) 2. Felipe Cabezas (Suz 650) 3. Jason Butler (Suz 650) 4. Michael Metcalf (Suz 650) 5. John Daker (Suz 650) 6. Mike Rosa (Suz 650) 500 Twins 1. Jay Jacobson (Suz 500) 2. Bobby Lee Broussard (Suz 500) 3. Jonathan Forman (Suz 500) 4. Josuf Zobairi (AND 500) 5. John Lasiter (Kaw 500) 6. Boris Clifford (Kaw 500) Formula Singles 1. Chris Keane (Hon 450) 2. Charles Statman (Hon 650) 3. Greg Creech (KTM 598) Teresa McKinney Realtor Formula 40 1. Mike Thompson (Yam 1000) 2. Bud Anderson (Hon 1000) 3. Mike Owiecki (Yam 1000) 4. Mark Nelson (Kaw 1000) 5. Jeff Gruetter (Hon 1000) 6. Pete Demas (Suz 600) Super Dinosaur 1. Ross Wells (Yam 400) 2. Dave Norgard (Yam 400) 3. David Worthington (Suz 750) 4. David Crussel (Kaw 748) 5. Michael Nishita (Yam 450) 6. Peter Blum (Yam 400)

Racer Vincent Haskovec, a 31-year-old Czech immigrant who settled in Lake Elsinore, California, suffered spinal injuries and was paralyzed from the chest down when he crashed and hit a wall during an AMA Formula Xtreme motorcycle road race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on May 14. After spending four days in a local trauma center where he underwent surgery to stabilize his spine, Haskovec was transferred to Santa Clara Medical Center in San Jose, California. Last week he was released from ICU to begin rehabilitation. Haskovec’s medical bills are fast approaching $500,000, of which 70% is covered by his medical insurance. He faces a long rehabilitation and will have to find a new way to make a living, since he worked in construction before he became a professional racer. The team he rode for, Lake Elsinore-based Team Hammer, Inc., racing as M4 EMGO Suzuki, has continued to pay Haskovec but his contract expires at the end of this season. Fundraising efforts are being coordinated by the Wegman Benefit Fund, a 501(3) c non-profit dedicated to helping injured road racers, and an online auction of racing gear and memorabilia donated by racers and people in the motorcycle industry appears at ~http://www.rpmcolorado.com/auction.asp~ . Vincent can be contacted via e-mail, [email protected] and updates on his condition can be seen at www.teamhammer.com . To bring people up to date on Vincent’s current status, we asked Vincent how he was doing. Q: What’s going on? Vincent: First I want to thank everybody who sent me an e-mail or a letter. I can’t believe it, how many people are wishing me well and are trying to help me. It’s amazing, man, and even though I can’t understand why this happened to me I really appreciate that so many people contacted me. I always tried to be nice to people and now they are being so nice to me it’s unreal. In the hospital, I’m now on a different level. On Monday the 11th I made it into the section that I was heading for. That’s why I came here to San Jose. I got out of there and now I’m in the rehab center on the first floor and those people in the rehab center are really cool. It’s the first people in the hospital that give me some hope. Q: You got to sit up for the first time, when did that happen? Vincent: That happened on the Friday before the 11th, so that was like the eighth. Over that weekend I got to sit up. Now I can do therapy and be in the wheelchair. Q: So the more time you spend in the chair the better it is? Vincent: Exactly, because the circulation and the movement is very important. Q: How’s your left arm doing? Vincent: That’s slowing me down on the progress here because it can move but it’s not as strong. I can do the things, but for a very short time. Q: Overall, now that you are up and in your chair and starting rehab, how do you feel about all that stuff? Vincent: It’s much better because I can go out and see people so I’m really happy. I can be in the chair at least and go around. I’m in the chair and I have to have like four hours of rehab through the day, but I have rest in between those hours. Q: How’s your overall feeling so far? Vincent: I’m pretty happy to make that move and finally do some activity. I’m not laying in bed all the time, laying on my side. Q: What do they have you doing for your activities? Vincent: We’re doing weights. I do normally that for one hour. Another hour they try to teach you about regular life; like you going in the shower, how you’re going to transfer yourself to the bath, how you’re going around the kitchen, how you’re going to open the door. All the basic stuff, you know? Another hour is physical therapy, they are teaching me about the wheelchair. And they are teaching me how to get up myself from the chair. And the last hour is going around a course in the wheelchair. This week they are going to have a bus with a ramp and on next Sunday they are going to take us to Santa Cruz. We can hang out, be outside, eat, and other stuff. Q: Are you looking forward to that? Vincent: Yeah, that will be the first time that I am going to be out of the hospital.

MID-OHIO’S WISECO SUPERBIKE 100 DOUBLEHEADER IS WIDE OPEN PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 18, 2005) — Any of a number of the leading AMA Superbike riders are expected to contend for victories in the upcoming pair of Wiseco Superbike 100 races, July 22-24 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. A total of five former winners will be on the grid at Mid-Ohio for rounds 12 and 13 of the 17-race AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. Jake Zemke, Aaron Yates, Miguel Duhamel, Eric Bostrom and series leader Mat Mladin have all tasted victory on the challenging 2.4-mile, 15 turn circuit. The pair of Wiseco Superbike 100s are part of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. This year’s race is the 23rd annual Mid-Ohio Superbike event and has long been one of the best-attended races on the AMA Superbike calendar. Riders will be greeted this year by continued circuit safety improvements. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin comes to Mid-Ohio with a 31-point lead over teammate Ben Spies. Mladin, the all-time AMA Superbike wins leader from Australia, is looking to add to his 2005 tally of seven wins. He is the only four-time Mid-Ohio Superbike winner. “I’m happy with the progress we’re making this year,” said Mladin, who is shooting for his sixth AMA Superbike Championship. “Suzuki came in with the strongest bike in the championship this year and our team has only made it better.” Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates swept the first Mid-Ohio Superbike doubleheader in 2000 and previously won the race in 1998. Yates has seven podium finishes to his credit so far this season, but is looking to score his first victory. He could join Mladin as a four-time winner, or even become the first five-time winner of Mid-Ohio this weekend. Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom is hot coming off his victory at Laguna Seca, on July 9. Bostrom is hoping to score his second career Mid-Ohio AMA Superbike victory. If he wins it would mark the first win for Ducati at Mid-Ohio since Doug Polen took victory on the Italian-made machine in 1992. “We’ll see what the coming races bring,” Bostrom said. “I know we’re improving and I’m getting more confident with each race, but at the same time it’s going to be tough to beat the guys who have it dialed in and have been running up front all season.” Honda teammates Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke have both scored wins at Mid-Ohio, but the two have yet to win this year. Time is running short for Honda if it is to avoid being shut out in AMA Superbike for the first time since 1994. Mid-Ohio fans will get their first opportunity to see Ben Spies and Neil Hodgson on AMA Superbikes. Spies is a Superbike rookie from Texas, who is second in the standings to Suzuki teammate Mladin. Mid-Ohio is a homecoming of sorts for Spies, who raced in his first AMA Pro road race at the track in 2000. Hodgson is the former British and World Superbike Champion who is making his debut in the American series this year. Already the Brit has scored a win last month in Elkhart Lake, Wis., and could be a major factor in his first visit to Mid-Ohio. Three riders from independent or privateer teams are ranked inside the top 10 in AMA Superbike coming into Mid-Ohio. Marty Craggill (Mladin Motorsports Suzuki), Lee Acree (KWS/Millennium Suzuki) and Steve Rapp (Michael Jordan Suzuki) are eighth though tenth in the standings, respectively. Mid-Ohio was the site of the last privateer victory in AMA Superbike. Privateer Dale Quarterley won Mid-Ohio in 1993 on a Kawasaki. Both Wiseco Superbike 100s will be televised nationally on SPEED Channel with Saturday’s Superbike beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 24, followed by live coverage of Sunday’s Superbike final at 3 p.m. For additional information contact Mid-Ohio at (614) 793-4600 or visit the website www.midohio.com.

WANTED: A GOOD DICE Munroe Motors/Tag Team/Harmon Bros Racing’s Eric Gulbransen takes home a well-fought second place at Thunderhill Raceway during the 5th AFM round aboard his Ducati 749R. Thunderhill Raceway, CA July 17th, 2005 – The thermometer was soaring, the parking lot asphalt was melting and the sweat was pouring. Eric “GoGo” Gulbransen and the team from Munroe Motors/Tag Team/Harmon Bros Racing were chillin’ in the shade of their Ducati EZ-Ups at Thunderhill Raceway in Northern California, scene of the 5th round of the nine round AFM Championship Road Race series. The topic of discussion was what makes the perfect road race. Racer Tom Goetze, put it perfectly about his Formula 40 race on his T-&-G/Munroe Motors sponsored Ducati 996 “¦man, I had a great dice”. “That’s it!” the team decided. All racers want “a great dice” and, ironically, winning comes second. If you’re going to risk it all, then you want to have the best possible time doing it. The Open Twins race provided GoGo the ideal opportunity to test the new theory his 749R was clearly the best handling bike on the grid, but the extra power of the big-bore 1000cc competition was a real threat on the long and fast straights of Thunderhill. The green flag dropped to start the race, and for once GoGo was not the first to stuff his bike through turn 1. “I blew the launch. My fault. The bike wanted to go, but I screwed it up.” he explained later, “That entire first lap I was out to lunch. Pfeiffer got the hole shot and then Long squeezed under me going into turn six. That 749R is a weapon when you’re on your game. And for that first lap, I wasn’t.” Out front, Jack Pfeiffer on his Aprilia 1000 was easing away from the pack, and by lap two he pulled a 2 second margin over GoGo who worked his way past last year’s Open Twins champion Brian Long into second place. “By lap two we were jammin’ again. The bike felt like I grew up on it. Jack had gapped us a bit, so I kept my head down and hit my marks harder and faster than ever before” said GoGo, as he raved on about the little Ducati. Each lap GoGo went a little faster, until he dipped under his 749 personal best time at Thunderhill, by just under a second, to record a 1:55:01. “Once I caught him I nudged my way under him on lap five, cresting the hill out of turn nine, and then drag raced him to turn ten but I was on the outside. He says he had no idea I was there, and I’m sure he’s being honest because he drifted to the edge of the track once we got into the brakes and pinched me right out of the fight. That lost us some time, and now I only had one lap to get back on him. I tried the same move on the white flag lap, only this time on the inside. And this time we made it stick… Once I had the lead, I started looking for things to throw over my shoulder at him, because I knew we’d be in trouble once we hit the long straight to the checkered flag. If I could have tucked inside that gas tank I would have, but Jack shot by and took the checkers by a bike length. We both shouted and high-fived each other all the way around the cool-down lap”¦what a race!” Back in the pits, the crew judged that GoGo must have had a good time by all his hootin’ and hollerin’ thereby proving our new theory that “a good dice”, not to forget a strong second place, is the best way to spend a rather warm Sunday afternoon at the racetrack. More, from a press release issued by Traxxion Dynamics: Young Gun Peris Unbeatable in Hindle Pro 600 Racing at Mosport Young Gun Chris Peris had the best weekend of his professional racing career at the Parts Canada double header weekend at Mosport International Raceway last weekend. It started with a stunning pole position run that saw Peris complete only the first five laps of qualifying. Peris set the pole time of 1:23.9 on his third lap, and then ran two more laps within tenths, and came into the pits and parked his bike. “That was a perfect lap. I can’t duplicate it, and I can’t go any faster. Nobody will beat that lap”. He took his helmet off, and sat down to watch the rest of qualifying. To the astonishment of the officials and spectators, he was right and his pole time remained unbeaten. The television crews were aggravated, since Peris’s qualifying effort was to be filmed as part of the “featured rider” coverage throughout the weekend. “We had just started to roll cameras, and were set up to film Chris, and then he never came around again!” proclaimed an amazed cameraman. In Saturday’s race, conditions were hot and dry, and the competition was close and fierce. Peris got off the pole behind the front row, and had to work forward. At the white flag he was 20 bikelengths behind Clint McBain, whose lead seemed insurmountable. Peris however, showed a new level of determination, and “Rossi’d” McBain by making up the gap, passing the leader, and putting in the fastest lap of the race on the last lap! Peris’ father Fernando was extremely proud of Chris and the Topline Printing Yamaha Team. “Chris made several draft passes throughout the race, and it was clear that our Vass Performance Racing Engine was faster than anything else on the track. Our second advantage is our Traxxion Dynamics suspension. To set the fastest lap by almost a second on the last lap speaks for itself; our Dunlop tires looked perfect even after that blistering lap. Chris never ceases to amaze me, and I am really happy for Max McAllister and Willie Vass, since they have worked so hard this year to put Chris on the box!” Peris passed all post race inspections including a tear down and inspection of the front fork system. The weather took a dramatic turn on Sunday, and it rained so long and so hard that officials continually delayed the start of the feature events. When the race finally did start, the track was “full wet” and rain continued to drizzle lightly. Peris led the race and a three rider breakaway of Peris, Tom Kipp, and Matt McBride quickly distanced the field. Then disaster struck as Peris approached the slow and slippery turn 5 area. A rider had fallen and a debris flag was waving. Peris was trying to sight the problem and ran wide of the apex, and fell on the concrete patch. Luckily, he stayed with the bike and was able to pick it up and re-enter the race. The right handlebar had bent in, but Peris continued on anyway, and actually maintained a third place position, 10 seconds off the leader. To everyone’s amazement, Peris worked his way back past McBride, and then passed Kipp for the lead coming to the white flag. He never looked back and took his second win to complete a perfect weekend. According to McAllister, Peris’ suspension tuner, “Chris stepped to another level here this weekend. I have been watching racers for a long time, and I have not been that impressed with a rider since John Hopkins came from behind to win the AMA FX Championship at VIR. I think the fans can expect to see Chris competing closer with the leaders than ever at Mid-Ohio this weekend.” Peris and the Topline Printing Yamaha Team are headed to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the upcoming weekends AMA National. More information is available at www.peris.ca. More, from a press release issued by Kenny Kopecky: Willow Springs Motorcycle Club Round 7 – July 17, 2005 Rosamond, CA On the hottest race day of the 2005 season at Willow Springs, Ducati Oceanside’s Kenny Kopecky took four race victories along with a well fought third place to remain atop the WSMC Overall Track Championship standings and solidify his hold on several individual class Championships. The wins included back-to-back races in BOTT Heavyweight and 750 Superbike early in the schedule. Kenny said “The heat didn’t seem too bad in the first couple of races but later in the day we saw 109 in the shade at our trailer and decided to skip the Formula Two race to wait for our next pair of consecutive events in 650 Superbike and Middleweight Twins. The 650 Superbike race went well…I had a fun battle with Mickey Lane throughout the event and came up just a little short at the end finishing 3rd. The wind was getting a little gnarly in turn 8, so I think we rode a little on the conservative side.” Jason Perez easily won over a field that was somewhat thinner then usual. Kopecky won his 3rd straight WSMC 750 Superbike event and has now moved into a tie in the class point standings with Ritchie Thorup, who finished a close third just behind Karl Lowry Jr. on Sunday. Kenny added “We ran hard for a few laps to get a gap…I knew the other guys would remain strong all the way and we feel our strategy worked out really well today. We managed to sweep the Ducati contingency races again this month and our 749, the 999 and the Dunlops held up really well in the desert blast furnace.” Kopecky also leads the BOTT Middleweight, BOTT Heavyweight and Formula Twins class standings and is ranked top 5 in Formula Two and 650 Superbike. The next WSMC roadrace is Round 8 on August 19-21, 2005. More, from a press release issued by Bell’s ARNCHU Racing: Bell’s ARNCHU Racing rises to 5th overall in points! This past weekend during Round 6 of the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series, Bell’s ARNCHU Racing (#15) scored another overall podium position of 3rd overall. The team also scored 2nd in the Heavyweight Superbike class, on a largely superstock Suzuki GSXR750. The team rose to 5th in points with a string of lately impressive finishes in the series. Riders Nathan Dressman, Randy Sherman, and Bojan Milkovich all rode with times in the 1:23/24 range. Dressman put in the 3rd fastest lap of the race at 1:22.1 on lap 7 of 230. Considered a “local track” by the riders, the team understood that weather at Grattan is a curious thing, often with it’s own atmostphere. ARNCHU played a calculated risk during the final 45 minutes of a wet Grattan 6 hour race. As the closing hour came with rain on the western half of the course, ARNCHU was running P4. Randy Sherman, riding, was told to stay out in the damp conditions as teams began to funnel in the pits for rain tires, including Team Redstar in P3. This was the chance the team needed to overtake for P3 by over a minute. Soon the track began drying and Sherman increased the lead into P3 by over a lap! “It was the most intensely focused I’ve been on a bike and it felt incredible. The seams at Grattan were so slippery so I chose completely different lines. We ran the whole race on one Michelin front slick and two rear DOTs!” said Sherman. Our team thanks the dedicated crewmanship of Ted Sherman, Tom and Kathy Dressman, and Jim Sheldon of Trackoholics.com. Bojan Milkovich, our guest rider, rode extremely fast and consistent on bike a bit too soft for him. More, from a press release issued by Rojo Racing: Jason Perez pulls off five wins for five starts at the seventh round of WSMC race event. Prior to Sunday’s races Jason ran the GTO on Saturday experimenting with 16.5″ rear wheel technology. Being that there was a lack of set up time, the attempt was unsuccessful having to pull in on two consecutive laps then pulling out of the race. On the other hand Sunday was a different story. After Saturday’s mishap Jason opted to stay with the 17″ rear wheel on his Yamaha R1, which has worked great in the past. Despite the 108 degree heat in the high desert, Perez was able to keep his competitors behind him the entire day. With lap times in the mid 21’s of the first race “Open Superbike” Jason was off to a good start with a win. Jason went on to win Open Superstock, 600 Superbike, 600 Superstock, and the premier Formula One class. Jason said “the bikes were working great, despite the heat.” “During the Formula One race I started with a couple of easy laps but noticed my pit board was not giving much of a gap so I picked up the pace a little while taking care not to cook my tire, Once I saw that I had a bit of a gap I maintained that pace and every thing turned out ok” “the bike felt a little loose towards the end but it worked fine”. Tire choice was crucial this week end due to the extreme heat conditions, we have to hand it to Dunlop for getting Jason and his Yamaha R1 on the top box! Rojo Racing team will be taking their show on the road next weekend at the Mid Ohio AMA Superstock race.

FANS GET TO LAP TRACK DURING 15TH ANNUAL MID-OHIO DEALER RIDE DUBLIN, Ohio (July 18, 2005) Taking to the highway on a motorcycle is a thrill to be sure, but getting to lap America’s most competitive road course on one is something else entirely. That’s exactly what motorcycling enthusiasts can do when they attend the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire and sign up for the Mid-Ohio Dealer Ride. Now in its 15th season, the Mid-Ohio Dealer Ride provides spectators the opportunity to hit the track on their own two-wheeler and get the pros’ perspective of the challenging Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The Dealer Ride takes place throughout the lunchtime break on Sunday, July 24, during the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. With more than 132 motorcycle dealerships participating in this year’s event, over 600 riders are expected to experience an on-track tour of Mid-Ohio’s 15-turn, 2.4-mile road course. In addition to the lunchtime lap on Sunday, participants also will receive VIP parking in the track’s infield. Bike owners interested in taking part in the Dealer Ride can simply visit their nearest participating motorcycle dealership, including all Ohio Honda dealerships, during normal business hours to sign up. All participating riders and passengers must be 18 years of age or older, carry a valid operator’s license, and wear helmets throughout the ride. Along with the Dealer Ride, the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire will feature an AMA Superbike doubleheader. Miguel Duhamel, Ben Spies, Jake Zemke and the rest of the Superbike superstars will go head-to-head in two Wiseco Superbike 100s one each on Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24. These thoroughbred bikes reach speeds over 170 miles per hour on Mid-Ohio’s famed backstretch before battling side by side into the Esses. Also featured during the weekend’s events will be fast-paced, two-wheeled action in the Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme classes. Tickets and information are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Mid-Ohio’s 2005 schedule features six spectator events, including the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 15-17), Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire (July 22-24), EMCO Gears Classic and Unlimited Audio and Accessories presents the Triple Crown Tuner Challenge (August 26-28), and SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Kohler (September 19-25). Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.